The Children of the Big Three
by Laneydaze
Summary: Just got a new chapter up. Percy and Thalia use their powers on eachother, resulting in a meeting at Mt. Olympus. But what's up with Artemis? Sucky summary, i know.
1. The Battle

I am placing this in the Titan's Curse, except Annabeth didn't fall off a cliff. The oracle will not interrupt the Percy/Thalia fight, and the Hunters go off to save Artemis by themselves. Okay, on with the story! And no flames, please.

I do not own any part of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, or any characters. Too bad!

Annabeth POV

"Hunters win!" I heard Chiron yell. I could tell he was somewhat sulking, but he was a good sport about it. "For the fifty-sixth time in a row." That news was worse. I walked up to where the rest of the crowd was, around by Zoe who had just won the game for the hunters. She was grinning smugly, and it made me a bit angry.

"Perseus Jackson!" I heard an all to familiar angry voice call. Thalia was storming towards Percy, who looked shocked just standing there holding the flag. I could see blue bolts of electricity running through Thalia's spear, and her shield, Aegis, made everyone cringe. SHe looked angry, and the look on her face was enough to make anyone fear for their life. And I could smell her from hear, thanks to the 'fart arrows' that were let off during the game.

"What in the name of gods were you THINKING?" she screamed. She was standing about a foot away from him, and her weapons were still in hand.

Percy clenched his fists and stood tall. I felt kind of bad for him, and Thalia was known for her temper. Then again, so was Percy.

"I got the flag, Thalia!" He was waving it in her face angrily. "I saw a chance and I took it!" The campers were watching, and the Hunters looked impersonally interested. It wasn't every day you saw a child of Poseidon argue with a child of Zeus.

"I WAS AT THEIR BASE!" She screamed back. "But the flag was gone. If you hadn't butted in, we would've won!" I could see even more electricity flow through her and the spear, and the crowd backed up, making an even circle around the two. Chiron stood intently, waiting to cut in if the fight got out of hand. I didn't think it would, though. There wasn't much to fight about, but then again, it was Percy and Thalia.

"You had too many on you!" yelled Percy back. He seemed angry too, and I noticed the current in the stream behind him was swirling fast, like a wild river.

"Oh, so it's my fault?" said Thalia, inches from his face.

"I didn't say that!" Percy looked fuming, and he was yelling loudly now. The rest of us were quiet, and it seemed like Percy and Thalia didn't realize we were watching them.

"Argh!" Thalia lost it, and she gave him a shove. We all saw the bolt of blue electricity that ran from her fingers into his body, pushing him back ten feet into the water. The campers gasped, knowing Percy could fight back, and that this fight was going to get bad. The Hunters giggled, and I glared at them, and turned my eyes back to Percy. He was more important than rude junior high girls.

"Sorry!" Thalia said. She was pale, and looked honestly sorry. Her hands were out in front of her, and the electricity was no longer visible. "I didn't mean to-"

Percy didn't let her finish, and I saw the anger on his face. Suddenly, a large wave erupted from the creek he was standing in and doused Thalia from head to toe. I was shocked. Thalia and Percy both had tempers, were both the most powerful demigods at the camp, and were both fighting, using their powers. This was not good.

Percy got up from the creek, looking smug. "Yeah, I didn't mean to either," he said, his voice low and angry. I heard thunder crash, and looked up at the sky. Storm clouds were approaching, and since Poseidon was the god of Storms, I wasn't sure whether it was Thalia bringing the storms or Percy. I noticed a faint tremble in the ground, and also remembered Poseidon was the god of Earthquakes, also.

Thalia breathed heavily with anger, and water dripped from her hair and down her face, causing her punk/goth makeup to run. Suddenly, Chiron called out. "Enough!" he said sternly. I glanced at him, and he seemed angry.

Every one ignored him, watching as Thalia just pointed her spear at Percy. "You want some, Seaweed Brain?" she growled back.

Percy looked angry at the name, but I didn't understand. I called him that all the time! Maybe he just didn't like hearing it from Thalia.

"Bring it on, Pinecone Face!" called Percy tauntingly, raising his sword. Before he could even make a move, Thalia screamed in anger, and in response a large bolt of lighting came down from the sky, hit her spear, and shot to Percy, slamming him in the chest with watts of electricity. I cried out when I saw the lighting hit him.

The campers gasped again as Percy sat down hard in the water, looking a bit dazed. We could all smell his clothes burning, and we were all watching intently. Even the Hunters looked serious this time, not indifferent like they were watching a movie.

"Thalia! That is enough!" said Chiron again. And again, no one listened. I didn't even spare him a glance.

Percy got to his feet again, looking even angrier, and some of the campers cringed. I watched in awe as the entire creek rose, swirling up, turning into a massive, icy funnel. I had to admit, seeing Percy use his powers against campers terrified me. He hardly ever even used his powers, this was the most I'd ever seen at one time.

"Percy!" Chiron pleaded. I could tell he was somewhat scared, of what they would do. I don't think I'd ever heard him this scared for or of a camper before. Thalia looked a bit nervous, staring at the water in awe. She quickly hid that by widening her stance, preparing for the blow.

Percy hurled it at Thalia and the campers and hunters cried out, watching as hundreds of gallons landed right on top of Thalia, picking her up and knocking her on her butt. It remained there for a while, over half a minute, then swirled up and away from Thalia. The water returned to Percy, and Thalia was coughing and sputtering on all fours. I had just realized she was under the water for a while, almost a minute, and she couldn't hold her breath very long.

"Percy! You will stop this NOW!" yelled Chiron angrily, cantering towards them. He stood back a ways, about ten feet. I assumed he didn't want to get caught in this, judging by the animosity of the fight.

Thalia got up, determination written on her face. The campers were starting to back up, looking scared, and Percy and Thalia didn't notice. "Thalia! Percy! Come on!" I yelled out finally, not wanting this to get worse. If it could. Instead, Thalia brought her hands downwards and then up towards Percy, and a lightning bolt came down from the sky into the ground, coming up from underneath and shocking Percy, sending him flying into the air. I cringed as I saw him hit, expecring him to come right back down again. But then, even more lighting bolts came, shocking him numerous times until he hit the ground hard. I watched in horror as he fell onto his back, his head rolling over onto it's side. "Percy!" I cried to his unmoving form on the ground. Some of the other campers cried out, staring nervously at his body. This time there were visible burns where the electricity had exited and entered his body, on his cheek, neck, and arms, and his hair was singed and smoking. Thalia just stood there, holding her spear and breathing heavily. If she registered how much she had actually just attacked him, she didn't show it. I ran over to Percy and so did Chiron, looking nervous. His tail twitched as he knelt down, but was still to tall to reach our hight due to his half-horse torso.

"Percy? Are you all right?" asked Chiron. I knelt down, trying to wake him up by shaking his shoulders, avoiding the burns.

Percy groaned and I let out the sigh of relief I didn't realize I'd been holding. A lot of the campers did the same, looking somewhat relieved. Even Clarisse looked, well, not relieved, but not as hateful as she normally did.

Chiron got up, looking furious. "Thalia, this has gone too far!" Thalia only stood there, spear in hand, watching as Percy got up.

The whole camp froze, along with the hunters, waiting to see what he would do. Percy grinned, except that grin seemed kind of, well, crazy. His eyes seemed unfocused, like they didn't know what was going on. I was worried about him, and I wondered if the shock had made him delirious.

"Percy? I think you better sit down," I said gently, putting my hand on his shoulder. He ignored me, and smiled at Thalia. That cold, crazy smile. Then, he raised his arm, and the smile disappeared, and a look of concentration replaced it. I backed up, not knowing what he was about to do.

Thalia froze, and for some reason looked terrified. She lowered her arm stiffly, and her fingers released their grasp on Aegis. The other arm did the same with her sword. I looked back and forth, wondering what was happening.

"Percy? Whats going on?" I asked, confused. The other campers looked stunned as well, the Hunters shocked, and Chiron looked concerned, then shocked, then angry. I figured he knew what was going on.

"Percy, don't-" he started coldy in a no-nonsense tone. He sounded more serious than before.

"Hey Thalia!" called Percy, still holding his arm out, her still looking shocked, angry, and terrified. "Did you know that people are made of 80 % water? Blood, muscle, all kinds of things with _water." _He then moved his hand downward, making Thalia kneel on the ground.

I stared at him, the pieces coming together in my head. Percy was controlling the water in Thalia's body. He could make her do anything. He could _kill_ her with a flick of his wrist.

The campers seemed to have made that connection, because some of them were stumbling backwards in fright, others just froze there. Not like Thalia, they were just petrified. They watched the scene in horror, and the Hunters held up their weapons, as if Percy would decide to attack them as well.

Then, suddenly, Chiron reached out and grabbed Percy's hand. "Stop. Now!" he said in a low voice. Percy grinned, and I suddenly wondered what the extent of the shock did to his head. Chiron must have realized that he was not in his right mind as well, because he didn't get angry.

The Hunters stood silently, Zoe watched the scene intently. I just put my hand on Percy's shoulder.

Then, everyone had eyes for Thalia, who stood up, shakily. I figured the sensation of not being able to control your body would make anyone shaky. Her face betrayed no feelings, she just walked over to Percy. Then, she did something that surprised everyone. She hugged my Seaweed Brain.

"I am so sorry Percy. This is all my fault," she said, only loud enough for me, Chiron, and Percy to hear.

Chiron started to walk away, beckoning for me and Percy to follow. The campers and Hunters got out of the way, and especially stayed clear of Percy.

Then, Percy's eyes rolled back and he fell.

* * * * *

Percy's POV

I woke up in the infirmary, not remembering why I was there. All I knew was that I was in a lot of pain. I looked around, hoping to see someone who could give me answers. Then I knew someone familiar was hugging me, and it made me grunt in pain.

"oh, sorry! Oh, you stupid Seaweed Brain!" said the familiar voice. I knew all too well it was Annabeth, and I opened my eyes.

Annabeth was sitting there, and her eyes were red and puffy like she'd been crying. I looked past her and saw Chiron, looking drawn, harried, and sad.

"What? What happened?" I muttered, sitting up. I winced in pain, and I noticed burns on my arms. I started to remember. "Wait-"

"You had an exciting day, young man," said Chiron. He looked thoughtful, and I could tell he was wondering if I remembered. "You and Thalia got in a fight. Do you remember?" he asked.

Annabeth eyed me, too. She looked concerned, but I just felt guilty. Remembering everything, but for some reason, everything after Thalia sending me that third shock was black. I figured I must have fainted then.

"Yeah," I said, looking down. "Thalia pushed me, I splashed her, she shocked me, I nearly drowned her, and she knocked me out with another shock. Then I'm guessing I passed out," I told. I kept it short, 'cause I didn't like to think about it. I was ashamed.

Annabeth looked alarmed, and she looked up at Chiron, who sighed and looked down. I figured I was missing something, so I questioned my thoughts. "What'd I miss?"

Chiron looked at me in the eye, and his eyes seemed somewhat sorrowful. "Percy, you didn't pass out after Thalia shocked you with that last shock. You were delirious, so you fought back. With a power we didn't know you had," he said carefully. I processed the information.

"Wait," I said, wondering if this was why they were upset. "What was the power?"

Annabeth looked pained, and scared. Chiron just replied. "You controlled the water in Thalia's blood, muscle, and so on, and well, controlled her," he said bluntly.

My world swirled as I thought about that. That only sounded like something a god, no, a Titan would do. Something evil but powerful. Then, Annabeth gave me a hug and I was pulled back into reality. "Chiron, I wasn't gonna hurt her, was I?" I asked, scared.

"No, I don't believe you were. Percy, you were delirious, you shouldn't blame yourself," he comforted. I couldn't take the comfort. IT was my fault. I had done it, hadn't I?

I looked up, at Annabeth and Chiron. "Is Thalia okay?" I asked wearily.  
"Yeah, she's fine," said Annabeth. She hid her tears, and didn't sound too choked. "She blames herself, and she feels bad for hurting you," she said, her eyes glancing at the burns on his arms, one on his neck, and the one visible on his collarbone.

I couldn't take it. I just couldn't. "Can I see her? I need to tell her it's not her fault," I choked. It wasn't her fault. I mean, I was the one who decided to play 'puppet-master' on my friends.

Annabeth looked sad, but she looked at Chiron. Chiron thought for a moment, then replied. "Okay, Percy. But take Annabeth, you're still badly injured, and besides, I don't want to be the one to have to drag her away from you," he said, his eyes twinkling.

I was relieved, but nervous. What did the campers think about me? What did Thalia think about me? Did they know it wasn't my fault?

"Come on, Seaweed Brain," said Annabeth. I just noticed that Chiron was gone, he must have left while I was thinking. She helped me up, and the burns on my body ached like heck. I noticed there were only burns where my skin was exposed during the fight, like on my cheek, neck, and arms. When I voiced this observation, Annabeth, being smart, told me why. "Electricity can't travel through textiles, which were under your armor, so they went in through the skin."

Great, so that just meant that all my burns were in plain sight. Great. When we walked out of the infirmary, a lot of the campers looked in our direction. I couldn't tell what they were thinking, but they were whispering, so I knew it wasn't good. They looked a little nervous, and I looked down, ashamed.

"Ignore them. They just don't get it, Okay Seaweed?" said Annabeth. I nodded, and the skin pulled on the burn on my neck and I winced in pain. Annabeth tastefully ignored this, and I was grateful.

We walked over to the sword arena, where Thalia was just sitting, watching campers swordplay. She looked up when Annabeth and I came in, and smiled a small, sad smile, but then she noticed the burns and it was wiped away.

Annabeth POV

I watched as Percy went to go sit by Thalia, and I went with him. I winced when ever I saw the burns, because they were a dark, angry color, but didn't bring it up.

"Thalia, it wasn't your fault," said Percy as soon as we sat down. Good old Seaweed Brain, always taking blame for everything.

Thalia looked at him, and noticed the dark angry burn on his cheek, and looked away. "Percy, I purposely attacked and injured you. I wasn't hurt, but look at you!"

I watched intently, feeling increasingly like a third wheel with every second. Percy looked pained, and then answered.

"Thalia, I controlled you. With my powers. That's like something only a Titan would do. I just, ugh!" he sighed. I felt so bad for him. He had this monstrous power, and he could very easily kill people with it. I wanted to comfort him, but I knew nothing about this kind of thing. Thalia understood better than anyone.

Thalia softened even more. "Percy, I know how you feel. If I wanted to, I could send a shock through your body strong enough to stop your heart. I almost did yesterday. That's not something I'm proud of," she said, looking at her thumbs.

Percy reached over and touched her hand. Not in a boyfriend-girlfriend way, but in the 'my friend needs comfort' way. Thalia looked up, and Percy was smiling. "Well, since both of us obviously wants the blame, how about we both take it?" he joked weakly.

Thalia smiled, and nodded. Then her smile fell away. "Well, what do we do now?" she said. "I don't think the Gods will be too fond of your newfound power, Percy."

And, right on cue, Grover came running up, a look of panic and fear written on his face. "Um, Thalia, Percy? Chiron wants to see you. He says that you two need to go to Olympus . . . Immediately."

Please review, this is my first story so I want to know how I did. But don't be cruel! Anyway, I'm already writing the second chapter. I like to make them long, though.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, first time I've updated in over a year, I think! Anyway, I haven't read the books in a while, so I may have my timelines messed up. Just letting you know! I don't have an eidetic memory. (If you watch Criminal Minds and are a Reid fangirl, you'll get my joke. )

And I'm just kinda spur-of-the moment writing this, so don't get mad if it doesn't live up to your expectations. Sorry if it doesn't, but I felt guilty about not finishing this. Oh, and it's kinda short.

3rd Person POV

Percy and Thalia stood alone in the lobby of the throne room, waiting for the Olympians to ask them to return. As soon as they had arrived with Chiron, they said they needed to talk privately, and Chiron had remained with the gods. They heard yelling from behind the door, and Percy shuffled from foot to foot.

Thalia looked up, once again wincing at the burns on her friend's face and neck. "So, how much bargaining will it take to keep us alive, huh?" she said, trying to make a joke out of it.

Percy looked up, a weary expression on his face. "Well, it can't be that bad. So we got in a fight. Big deal," he said, saying the understatement of the year.

Thalia nodded. "Yeah. They can't really punish us. Other demigods get in fights all the time, and they don't get in trouble."

Percy nodded, though he knew this wasn't a helpful argument, and that she knew this too. Neither of them were just 'other demigods'. They were the children of two of the Big Three, and that a lot of the gods were looking for excuses to kill them. _But,_ he thought, with a flicker of hope. _Zeus won't let them kill Thalia, and Poseidon won't let them kill me. They have the most influence. _

Finally, the throne room doors opened, revealing Hermes, the messenger of the Gods, and also father of Luke, whom was an old friend of Thalia's and Annabeth's.

He looked stressed and harried, but spoke with kindness. "We are ready to speak to you, now. Both of you."

Percy's POV

I looked over at Thalia, and gave a small, reassuring nod. I knew that she was more confident, though. Nothing ever scared or bothered Thalia. Except, of course, Luke. He did bother her.  
Thalia nodded back, and walked in with her shoulders back and head held high. I followed suit, keeping my head slightly lower, hiding an electrical burn under my jaw. The less damage they see, the less threatening our fight looks. Simple as that.

We didn't meet any of the god's eyes until we both knelt in front of our fathers. "Father," I heard Thalia mumble. I glanced over at Zeus's face, and he tried to hide his emotions, but I could see. He was proud, but concerned. He was happy to see his daughter after believing he had sealed her fate in breaking the pact when he had her, and ended in her death. (Well, he did turn her into a pine tree, but she might as well be dead.)

I knelt in front of my father, and looked up into his sea green eyes. My eyes. "Dad," I said quietly. He gestured his hands, and I stood. I looked around at the gods again. Poseidon's concerned gaze, Ares' hateful and brutish gaze; Dionysus looked bored, Hermes looked like he was deep in thought, but not about us. Zeus was watching his daughter, Apollo was just listening to music, but for the first time ever that I had seen, he looked thoughtful, and worried? That was a first.. Hephaestus was watching us carefully, and just looked . . . well, I don't know. Worn, I guess. Athena looked angry, like she hadn't gotten her way. Aphrodite was eyeing me like a piece of candy, and I don't want to know what she was imagining. Here looked equally angry, and had her legs crossed and was avoiding looking anywhere near Thalia. Demeter looked like she sympathized with us. But I noticed the empty throne, which had a glow about it like moonlight.

Artemis wasn't here.

I shook this off as Zeus started addressing us. "You know why you're here, I presume?" he boomed.

We nodded. "Yeah. We were playing capture the flag. And we used our powers. It's not that big of a deal," Thalia said, hands on hips, glaring around.

Athena looked angry. "You let your anger consume your actions. Both of you did. And with the amount of power that you both have," she glanced at the most noticeable burn on Percy. "Letting emotions cloud your judgment is dangerous. And tempers seem to run in your family." She glared at her father, Zeus, before continuing. "So, we were deciding how to punish you."

I glanced at Thalia. Her composure remained as strong as ever, as did mine. "So, what did you decide?" I asked, dreading the answer.

Athena raised her chin. "Your fathers insisted on keeping you alive. So we decided to take a vote. So, all in favor of keeping Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, alive?" she asked, looking around.

Apollo, Hermes, Demeter, Zeus, Poseidon, Dionysus, and Aphrodite raised their hands. I let out a sigh. But they still had to vote for Thalia.

Athena let out a huff. "Alright, fine. All in favor of keeping Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, alive?" The same hands raised, and I let out an even bigger sigh of relief, smiling.

"Well, it's not like we did anything worth convicting, huh?" I muttered to Thalia. She gave a small smirk in response.

"Well, you don't know much about me before you met me," she winked. I chuckled, earning glares from the Olympians.

Poseidon and Zeus looked less concerned, and my dad smiled. But I was still curious, and now that my life wasn't in question, I asked. "Um, where's Artemis?"

Thalia looked up, wondering the same thing. Apollo glanced at Zeus, but I couldn't read what his expression said.

"She is checking something out with the Hunters. They had found something that they couldn't handle without Artemis," said Poseidon, ignoring Zeus's and Apollo's glares in his direction.

Thalia looked shocked, but I didn't really know what the Hunters were. "What hunters?" I asked, glancing around.

Thalia rolled her eyes, with a look similar to Annabeth. Oh my Gods, I had completely forgotten about her through all this! "My Gods, Seaweed Brain. They're eternal maidens, warriors that fight for Artemis. They're immortal. And, I had thought they were pretty well trained and accomplished. I didn't think that they would ask for help?" she said in a questioning tone, glancing at Zeus.

Zeus sighed. "This is different." Suddenly, like a movie, the giant doors to the throne room swung open, and a young girl stood there, with a bow strung on her back and a sword in its hilt. She was holding up a stunningly gorgeous young girl, who looked about twelve years of age. This girl had several wounds on her body, all leaking golden fluid. Even from here, the shimmering fluid couldn't be mistaken. It was what I had seen when I injured Ares in hour duel, back in my first year at Camp Half-Blood. It was Ichor, the golden blood of the Gods. And judging from the alarmed look on Apollo's face, this could only be his little sister, Artemis.

Instantly, the room was in motion. Apollo was at her side, being the god of medicine. The rest of the Olympians had crowded around as well.

"What happened?" Apollo frantically asked the young girl who was supporting his sister.

She looked shaken, and lowered Artemis onto the floor, where Apollo had drawn up a soft pillow for her to lay her head on. "We were all just waiting. I mean, she had been getting weaker and weaker every night, and we didn't know why. So we were camping out a bit ago. But suddenly, this woman walked into camp, demanding to see Lady Artemis. But this woman, she was . . . different. I don't know. Anyway, we had instantly drawn our weapons and stuff, but Artemis just told us to lower them. So, she followed this woman, and after a while, we were worried. And we felt a chill, it wasn't normal. So, we went to find her. And this is how we found her," she said, gesturing to Artemis, who was shaking and pale.

Suddenly, Artemis's closed eyes flew open. "She, she's back. She wanted power. My domain. But I couldn't let her. But I couldn't fight it," she ranted.

Apollo looked lost, while he was healing her. "Who?" he questioned, taken aback.

I was completely confused. I had no idea what any of them were talking about.

"Night," said Artemis. "Night."

Ok, so that is a cheesy cliff-hanger, right? Man, I need more action in that chapter. And more Percabeth. But sorry, no Perlia. That, to me, is just like inbreeding, and creepy. They're cousins, you know? But, I suppose so is Annabeth and Percy. Oh well. (: More action and romance hopefully, and a sooner update date!

Please, NO FLAMES. But a review would be nice.


	3. Chapter 3

Artemis had passed out right after she said 'Night', which, by the way, I have no idea what she was talking about. Anyway, we had to leave. A bunch of the Gods got this like, worried, knowing look, and after that, Hermes told us that this was confidential, and we had to go. So, now Chiron, Thalia and I were making our way back to camp half-blood. Argus seemed like he was driving faster than usual, and I wondered if he knew what the gods were talking about, and about Artemis. Or if this was something else entirely.

"I can't believe we were let off that easy," Thalia said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I bet Athena or Hera would have asked for us to at least be punished if we weren't interrupted," I replied, shuddering at what they could have imagined.

"Do you have any idea what 'Night' is? Who it could be?" asked Thalia.

"No. Not a clue. Annabeth is who you want to ask for that," I replied honestly. Chiron was just sitting silently in the front seat, keeping his thoughts to his self.

Suddenly, Argus rounded a turn, and that's when I realized how fast he was going. We seemed to be going at least 80, and I knew Argus never ever went over the speed limit. When we pulled up to Half Blood hill, I got out of the car right away. Thalia did the same, and walked over and stood by me. I felt a chill in the air, and it wasn't normal. I glanced over at Thalia, who looked equally uneasy.

"You feel it too?" I asked, noticing her discomfort.

She nodded. "This is serious. We need to ask Annabeth, like now."

Chiron got out of the car and immediately shed his wheelchair, which he had adorned to go into the city with. I glanced at him, and noticed him looking up. I did the same, wondering what he was looking at.

I didn't see anything, really. "What are you looking at?" Thalia asked, curiosity in her voice.

I shook my head. "Nothing, I guess. C'mon, lets head in. Chiron! We're gonna go talk to Annabeth. We can tell her what happened, right?" I said, turning around.

Chiron's face was serious and grim. "Even if I said no, you would still tell her. Go, child. I have things I need to get done, as well," he said, before trotting off towards the big house.

I shrugged at Thalia, getting a little pang of pain in my shoulder in the process. Another burn mark, probably. I glanced up uneasily as we walked towards the cabins, wondering what Chiron was looking for.

There was still a fire lighting the pavilion area in the cold, dark night, so we used that to find our way towards Athena's cabin. I knocked, with Thalia right behind me.

One of Annabeth's brothers opened the door, and I asked immediately, "Is Annabeth in there?"

She must have heard my voice or something, because suddenly the brown-haired grey-eyed boy was pushed aside, revealing Annabeth. She rushed forward and gave me a bone-crushing hug, and then pulled away.

"So it went ok? You guys are ok?" she rushed, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face. Even with slightly tousled hair, she still looked beautiful. Particularly in the shorts and tee she was wearing, a cool blue that brought out her stormy grey eyes.

"We're fine, Annabeth. They let us off. But that's not the important thing right now," I said, glancing at Thalia.

Thalia stepped forward. "Let's find somewhere to talk. Percy, let's go to your cabin. Mine's too empty and lifeless," she said.

Back in my cabin, Thalia and I told Annabeth what happened to Artemis, and she was shocked. "But Artemis is a pretty capable goddess," she said. "And she doesn't have any enemies. Who would want to do this?" she asked, curious.

"That's why we're asking you," I said, sitting on the bed next to Annabeth. Thalia was just leaning against the wall next to us, with her arms crossed. "Apollo asked her, and all she said was something about Night. And something about someone wanting her domain, or something like that."

I could see the gears churning in her head. She did look pretty when she thought, though. Her eyebrows scrunched together a little, and she got this determined look. Suddenly, her eyes went wide, and she jumped up.

"Come here," she said, pulling us outside. She looked up into the sky as Chiron had done, and I wondered what I was missing. "There," she breathed, looking shocked.

"What?" I asked, looking around the starry sky.

"The moon. It's not there. Well, it's there, but there's an eclipse, kind of," said Annabeth. "We can't see it. It's hidden."

I looked around, and sure enough, there was no moon. "So? The moon has a phase where it's hidden." I looked over at Thalia, who looked like she was piecing the clues together as well. Her electric blue eyes were piercing, and deep in thought.

Annabeth shook her head. "No. Right now we should be able to see about half the moon. And there isn't another lunar eclipse for another few months, and we wouldn't be able to see it from here anyway. If it's what I think it is, then the gods are in trouble," said Annabeth.

"Who?" I asked, frustrated with everyone keeping me in the dark.

"Nyx," Thalia said, shocked. "The ancient goddess of Night."

Annabeth nodded. "Exactly. And if it is her, this is bad. All the gods, even Zeus, fear Nyx. She is debatably the most powerful deity in the earth's history."

I was shocked. I didn't even know much about Nyx. She was just mentioned in Chiron's class, he said we didn't know much about her. "But why does that mean the moon is hidden?" I asked, confused.

"It's a power play," said Annabeth. "She's basically showing off, and saying she's back. Plus, Artemis is invading her domain. The moon is part of night. So, she blocked out the moon with darkness, and in doing so she drains Artemis's power and shows the god what she can do. But we don't know what she wants yet. She may be happy just to have her night sky back," Annabeth contemplated.

I nodded. "Well, whatever it is, it's not good. The gods were not happy, I can tell you that. Apollo especially was pretty freaked."

Thalia began to walk, and talked as she strode away. "Well, I'm going to bed. I've had enough to deal with for tonight, and it's late. If you're right, we will have plenty of time in the future to deal with Nyx. So good night, Seaweed brain, Annabeth," Thalia said. I turned and faced Annabeth, who was standing, looking worried.

"You ok?" I said, stepping closer.

She looked up. "I don't know. It's just, will we ever get a normal summer? And with Kronos on the rise, Nyx is not helping. I just don't know how the gods will be able to deal with two powerful titans."

Percy shrugged. "But Nyx wasn't evil or anything, was she?"

Annabeth shook her head. "Most people say she just kept to herself, but if anyone upset her or got in her way, then she would be angry and unleash her power on that person."

"So maybe she can help us?" I asked, hopeful.

Annabeth smiled. "I doubt it. But if she did side with us, there is no way that Kronos would beat us. After all, Nyx is Kronos's aunt," she said.

I smiled back. "Maybe unresolved family issues will crop up." Suddenly, I felt a pain in my head, and I doubled over, grasping it.

"Percy?" asked Annabeth, crouching to help me. She reached out to me, and I reached out to push her hand away. After all, I was ok, it was just a headache. But when I did that, she fell back, and was frozen. I looked up. She looked shocked, like she was trying to tell me something. She was tense and couldn't move, like Thalia.

Frantic, I just moved my hands back, and she started breathing heavily, and standing up.

"Annabeth, I'm so sorry, it was an accident-" I began to say, reaching out again. She flinched when I reached out, but didn't react or freeze like she had. Still, I recoiled.

"Fine, Percy. I know. I'm just gonna go to bed. I'll see you in the morning," she said, before hurrying off, her blond curls bouncing as she strode away. I was left alone, in the dark, in the cold. I looked at my hands, and felt cursed. It's not like I wanted to learn how to do that! I couldn't help it.  
I knelt down in the grass, and was suddenly overcome with curiosity. If I could do that to people, I wonder what I could do to plants.

I reached out, and focused on the water flowing in the grass, and in the roots. I closed my eyes gestured with my hand, imaging all that water just pulling on what was containing it. I opened my eyes, and saw all the grass flattened to the right. I tried moving it back. Suddenly, all the grass moved back. I laughed, getting a small power high. Suddenly, I found myself focusing on the water too much. I found myself wishing for the water to be out of it's trap, so that I could use it. And, to my horror, that's what it did. Water was exuding from the ground and the grass leaves, but all I could see was the dead, lifeless plants before me, that were just a moment ago teeming with life.

And all I could do was picture Annabeth, lying dead like that.

Hmmm . . . don't know if I like this. I'm just kind of free-writing, you know? Don't own PJO


End file.
